The Ninja and The Hellcat
by AJsHellCat
Summary: A Queen is forced to leave her war torn home, ending up in New York City. She finds two things here she didn't expect: romance...and the Evil she thought she escaped.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's note:** This story's character, Alexandria, is based on one I've been roleplaying as for over a year now. Some of the details of her story are changed so that those who are unfamiliar with her and her roleplay storyline won't get confused.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own the ninja turtles, I am simply borrowing them for my story.

**Prologue**

Alexandria Jane stood in front of her bedroom window, watching. Chaos was reigning below. The sounds of war resonated through the walls of her Palace, causing it to shake slightly, as if in fear.

Yes, it had finally happened. The delicate balance between the Good of her world and the Bad had finally shifted and broken. It had all happened so fast…

Unearthly roars and screeches could be heard from the beasts known as The Black Helldragons. Alex shivered a bit. How she hated them…

They had black as night scales and red as blood eyes. Their only purpose had been to cause destruction and overthrow her kingdom. Luckily, only one of those was working…

The city below was in ruins. Fires were everywhere…and so was blood.

She could see her Royal Guards fighting, not just for her kingdom, but of their lives. They were the best trained in her world. Hopefully, they could handle this madness.

The stone floor beneath her feet was warming, heating from the fires. She didn't have much time. As Queen, she had to escape…and soon.

However, her belongings had to be left behind. There was no time for them.

Her room was the largest in the palace. The walls made were of black stone that seemed to glow with life, like embers from a dying fire. Her bed was a deep red Cedar, with a full frame and a full black silk Canopy and curtains. The frame was carved in a bit of a Gothic style, with black panthers sitting on top of each pillar seemingly watching the room.

She had a dresser and closet doors made of the same word, carved in the same style. The room's masterpiece, in Alex's opinion, was the fireplace. Instead of being carved from wood, it was carved from the same stone as the wall. The paining above it was of her and her mother.

Alex smiled a bit at it despite everything. They both had the same raven coloured hair and sharp green eyes. Her mother was taller though, standing at 5'10" instead of her 5'5".

With one last sigh, Alex went to her fireplace and pushed against one side of the frame. It opened, revealing a secret passage way. This would lead her out of the palace, to safety.

The sounds of war echoed through the tunnel as she ran. A part of her feared that at any moment, the claws of a Dragon would reach down and snatch her up.

With a flick of her wrists, she called upon her element, Fire, for which her home was named. It was Bladhm, actually, the Gaelic word for flame. With it, she summoned her weapons, her Sai. They appeared in her hands with burst of light. They, like the walls of her home, were made of the same black stone. Words were carved into the three prongs in her ancient language. The blades were longer than that of the traditional Ninjitsu weapons. The middle prong was the full length of her forearm.

Alex held these tight in her hands as she reached the tunnel's exit. Now, she would become the warrior. It was the only way she'd survive now. No crown was going to keep her from death's door.

Thoughts her mother and her father entered her mind, making her eyes sting with tears. She had no idea where they'd ended up in this chaos. And now, there was no time to find out…

There was a primal need inside of her to fight. That of the Hellcat… She could feel its need to shift her body to that of the Black Panther and attack those who'd harmed her people…those she loved…

That would mean death aswell. There were hundreds, possibly thousands of Black Helldragons out there who would have no trouble against her.

So, she pushed the feeling away, but not without letting out a pure predatory growl.

Alex ran with everything she had, stepping over stones and what she was sure were bodies. She didn't dare look down and see.

As she did, she whispered a simple spell that she'd learned from her mother. One, she told her that would take her somewhere safe should something like this happen…

The light of her fire surrounded her, and teleported her away… far away…


	2. Chapter 2

_500 years later, New York City, New York…_

"Donnie, ya damn nerd, get outta that lab. We got trainin' ta do."

Raphael, the red masked hotheaded turtle scowled at his brother, the purple-masked genius Donatello.

Now normally, Raph wouldn't care too much about what Don was up to but at this moment they had some training topside to do and Leonardo, the blue-masked leader and eldest brother, was already ready to go.

"Alright, I'm coming." And with that, Donatello reluctantly grabbed his Bo and followed Raph out of his lab to where Leo was waiting.

Michelangelo, the orange masked brother and the youngest trudged out of his room and stood with them. His bright blue eyes danced between his brothers and the TV. There was a horror movie marathon on tonight that he didn't want to miss. All his elder brothers knew this.

Leonardo gave his youngest brother an amused smile. "The quicker we get started, the sooner you can get back."

"Cool! Let's go!" And as always, Mikey took off like a green rocket into the sewers.

The three brothers exchanged glances of amusement before moving to follow.

Training went well and was reasonably uneventful. That was, until they made their journey home…

As they did, they saw an unusual sight. A woman was sitting outside on her balcony, which in and of itself was a rarity in New York City as most apartments lacked this, talking to a sleek, black cat. Only, this wasn't your run-of-the-mill cat. It was a large, black…panther?

The brothers all exchanged curious looks with each other from a safe distance where they knew she wouldn't see them.

"Now there's something you don't see everyday." Donatello whispered his brown eyes wide.

"Ain't there laws against keepin' wild animals?" Raph whispered back to Donatello, who was closest to him.

"Yes, there are." Don answered. "I can't say I can figure out how she got away with it."

"It's cool, though." Mikey said, a smile dancing on his beak. "I mean, nobody is gonna come busting through her door with that thing there."

They had to give Mikey a point for that. It was true.

"It's a nice night out, isn't it?" Alexandria, unaware of those watching her, said to her feline friend, Salem.

Salem purred an answer, and moved his tail slightly.

Alex reached out to scratch him behind his ears. It had taken some doing to get him here without detection, but it had been worth it. He'd been her pet her entire life and she hadn't been ready to give him up.

She smiled as she listening to the hum of the cars going by. It was oddly soothing once one got used to it. At first, the city had seemed too much for her. The lights, sounds, and activity had grated on her heightened senses. Still, it was where her spell had taken her, which meant it was safe here. Alex knew that she had to stay.

And she was glad she did.

Alex had managed to settle in nicely. She taught her own self-defense class now for the women of New York City. Alex firmly believed that no woman should wander the streets and not feel safe in some respect.

She still kept up with her own training even though she no longer had access to the same facilities as she had at home. Living in this new world had meant adaptation and change and she'd met that challenge.

She had a punching bag in her apartment, which she'd enhanced with Magic so it could take her supernatural strength.

The rest was covered by a gym membership. There, she had to hold back. Still, it did the trick.

That's when Alex caught the scent of…something, in the wind. Focusing on it, she realized it was…

_Turtles? _

Alex blinked a bit. Okay now that was an odd scent to smell. Alex focused on it and was able to determine that they weren't far from her at all. Maybe someone had some as pets.

No, she thought after a moment, they smelled…bigger.

Very strange, very strange indeed…

But then again, who was she to judge? She lived with an exotic feline. Someone could have exotic turtles. It was possible.

With a casual stretch, Alex stood and entered her apartment. She left the sliding door slightly ajar so some of the night's cool air could enter.

Raph grunted at this. "Don't she know that ain't safe?"

Donatello sighed. "She must be a newcomer." Those kinds of people, they found, were the ones that still thought of New York as sort of a magical city. They didn't see the side that said a door open like that meant an easy entry and easy robbery.

With the skill only becoming of a Ninja, Donatello tentatively reached out his Bo, resting it against the edge of the sliding door. He eased it closed without a sound. Satisfied, the brothers headed back home.

It took only moments before Alex realized that the sliding door was closed. Who could have done that? She was on the fifth floor. Curiosity and years of training had her silently grabbing one of her Sai. The weapon's weight was comforting in her hand as she approached the door.

A technique like this had been used once to lure her out into the open as a child. The result had been that she'd nearly been kidnapped. Ever since then, she never approached a door of any kind without a weapon or on full alert.

Alex used the tip of the middle prong to open the door again. She used her heightened senses of smell, sight, and hearing to see if she could detect anyone outside that shouldn't be.

There was nothing. With the weapon slightly behind her back, she stood out on the balcony and looked around. The sound was faint. But she heard it. There was someone on the roof of her building…

In the blink of an eye and with a few leaps, she was on the roof with both of her Sai. She landed without a sound. Alex was just in time to see four black, slightly bulky silhouettes of being she knew in an instant were not human.

Terror gripped her for a moment. Had The Black Helldragon's minions finally found her after all this time? Had the evil she'd tried to outrun reached her?

God, she hoped not…if it had, it would mean her demise…and that of the city, for sure.

Swearing softly and colourfully in her own language, she headed back inside, closing her door tightly behind her.

She had to know… but how? That was the million dollar question. She didn't have the resources here in this world to do it. Still, she had to find a way. A lot of lives depended on it…


	3. Chapter 3

Author's note: I'm going by April's CGI movie job, in case you were wondering. I like it better than news reporter.

"And always remember, ladies. Keep your cool and don't panic." Alex called out to her students as they filed out after class. It was the one command she always repeated at the end of every session. She wanted it to stick in their minds.

After all, learning all the techniques of self-defense didn't matter if you weren't calm and thinking straight enough to use them.

One student, however, didn't leave right away and approached her. Her name was April O'Neil.

"Miss, O'Malley?" April called out, smiling a bit.

"Yes, April? How can I help you?"

"I was wondering," The light brown-haired Antique enthusiast and collector asked, "if you still had that Egyptian cat statue you told me about."

Alex smiled and nodded. She and April had discussed it the previous class and April had been looking into buying it for a Museum in the city.

"Yes, I do."

This made April smile. "Excellent! I'm glad to hear it. Can they still buy it?"

Again, Alex nodded. "Of course, the offer is still open." Of course, April didn't that she'd gotten the artifact from her father, who'd actually been to Egypt those thousands of years ago when the Pharaohs were the ultimate rulers.

"Thanks!" April smiled warmly. "See you next class." And with that, she gave Alex a friendly wave, grabbed her coat, and departed.

That of course had fallen into her hands purely by luck as she'd left it behind all those years ago. Who knew that some souvenir vendor would have it in their shop by a museum? And for 25 dollars no less! Apparently he didn't know what a real artifact looked like.

Anyhow, she'd bought it and had kept it without the vendor being any wiser. Ha! And he thought he'd been overcharging her.

Right…25 dollars was a lot of money for a priceless thousand year-old authentic Egyptian feline statue.

That thought made Alex grin as she herself grabbed her coat and headed out into the warm New York afternoon.

It was also important to Alex to have her classes during the day. At night she feared that they may have to use the skills they'd only just learned. After all, some of them lived in the not-so-good neighborhoods. That was the reason they took her class in the first place.

April, however, lived downtown in an area that was considered safe. It was heavily populated and police patrolled through it regularly.

Still, one couldn't be too careful, Alex reasoned. Crime of any nature wasn't limited to the poor or those who lived in shadier neighborhoods. It was better safe than sorry in her mind.

Since the sun was still pleasantly warm on her face, she decided to take a bit of a detour and have a walk through Central Park. This was one area that Alex had immediately fallen in love with upon moving to the bustling metropolis.

It muffled the noises of the cars and their horns so one could actually hear the birds in the trees.

It was nice, very nice…until her senses went on red alert…

"Hey guys!" April called cheerfully as she entered the lair.

"Hey, April!" Don answered, poking his head out from his lab. A chorus of hellos came from the remaining three brothers a short time later.

"She's letting me have the statue." She told Don proudly as she removed her jacket and hung it up where the boys hung their trench coats and fedoras.

"That's great!"

Mikey grinned. "So, is your teacher cute?"

April chuckled at Mikey and handed him a pamphlet, the very one that had led her there a couple of weeks earlier.

"See for yourself."

Eagerly, he flipped it open. "Wow! She is a babe!"

Raphael rolled his eyes at his younger brother and then snatched the pamphlet from him before nobody ever saw it again. Knowing Mikey, he'd made sure it was good and lost.

He blinked at the photo. "Hey, Mikey…this was the girl we saw when we were patrolin'! Da' one wit' the big freakin' cat."

Mikey pondered that for a moment and then smiled. "You're right, Raph. Talk about a small world!"

April raised a brow. "Big cat?"

"Yeah, it was huge! It was a panther or somethin'. It was black."

"Wow…must be an enthusiast for exotic wildlife or something." April commented.

Leonardo and Donatello joined the trio a short time later. April told them about the conversation they just had.

Raph turned the pamphlet's cover around so they could see it. They nodded in unison.

"That's her." Don confirmed.

Mikey nudged April playfully. "Say, could you tell her you have a charming and handsome friend she could go out with?" he waggled his eye ridges for added effect.

April chuckled at Mikey and playfully poked him back. "I'm sure she's very into turtles, Mikey." She said this with much affection in her voice.

His brothers chuckled merrily at her words.

Mikey just stuck his tongue at them all before putting his attention to better things: his video game!

It was only a second later that Alex felt the hot breath on her neck.

"At long last…" said a silky, male voice. Alex growled, knowing exactly who this was…

_Diablo… _

He was the leader of a group of Vampyres from her world. It was them that were responsible for the destruction of her home those hundreds of years ago. He'd managed to rally the Black Helldragon's support aswell. And then…Chaos.

Diablo had caused trouble for her homeland as long as she could remember. He'd even fixated on her…she'd become his obsession. Each attack, each scheme of his was designed to draw her attention to him. He loved tormenting her…a lot.

"Ah, no need for hostility, my love."

Alex tried not to heave at the "my love" part. She hated it when he called her that. It made her feel violated somehow.

He drew her against him and purred in her ear. Alex made a face as she felt certain part of his anatomy announcing it was definitely happy to see her.

Gods, this was far too many kinds of gross…

"Go feel someone else up, you damn pervert." Alex growled and grabbed his arms. Using all of her strength, she flipped him violently over her head causing him to land on the ground, hard.

He flipped upwards to land on his feet, but not without some effort. Alex was never easy on anyone she fought with…especially not him.

Alex glared at him as he stood before her. Diablo towered over the Queen at a healthy 6'9" inches. Still, he didn't frighten her, he only pissed her off.

He was also not of the human variety. Instead, he was what her world called a Hellturtle.

These creatures had a mixture of human and turtle attributes. They stood on two legs, as humans did, and had ten fingers and ten toes like humans. They were capable of human speech, and had human intelligence. So in essence, Hellturtles were humanoid turtles.

Normally, they were a kind and peaceful species. However, Diablo had had a run-in with a Vampyre which had turned him. So here he was…

"My people will come." He said, grinning now. "They'll kill everyone here… but you, you're for me…"

_Oh, great… _

Alex ignored him, waiting, watching, to see what he would do.

Vampyres possessed great speed and grace, but so did her kind. So when his fist flew out to strike her, she bent backward, avoiding it before straightening up again.

This pissed him off. Alex grinned. That pissed him off more.

And with that, the two warriors fought. As they did, she could tell he was dismayed that she was stronger now, that she had over 500 years of combat training under her belt.

"Ah, you have ripened, my little strawberry…" he purred as he tried to kick her, which she blocked, and punched him in the beak.

As if sensing the darkening mood, clouds gathered as they fought. Rain, pouring rain, soon followed.

They weren't alone very long. Soon a few of his minions surrounded her. Alex mentally counted them. There were six.

Luckily, she had a silver knife with her. It wasn't a stake, but it would do…

Silver, after all, killed these monsters. One stab to the heart…

And with that, she launched into battle with the snarling Vampyres. The first, a human male, was young and freshly turned. He didn't have the experience she did. With a well-timed throw, she got him right in the heart and then quickly retrieved her knife.

The next two came at her from both sides. She kicked one, causing him to land a few feet away from her. The second grabbed her, wrapping an arm around her throat. Alex gagged for a moment, trying to get her air.

Then she flipped him over her as she'd done with Diablo earlier. He came at her again and Alex punched him and then stabbed, watching his dust fall.

The one she'd kicked got up and tried to rush her. Alex managed to stab him, too.

That left 3 more.

One reached out with his claws and tore at her arm. Alex hissed at the sting of it, before giving him a kick to the chest. Luckily, it sent him backwards, impaling him on the nearby fence. It wasn't silver, but it definitely held him in place so Alex could ensure he was dust too.

The next one was more experienced. The battle with him was a fury of punches, kicks, tumbles, slamming into various trees and large rocks from both combatants.

Eventually, Alex managed to swing her leg out, knocking him to the ground. Not wasting time, she dusted him too.

The last one, however, had the wherewithal to run. Growling, Alex tore after him. No way would she let him have a victim.

Alex chased him right to the sewers and into them. The smell assaulted her nostrils, making her blink but she kept on. She couldn't afford to hesitate. Vampyres could run damned fast and if she wasn't careful, she could lose him easily.

And so, she kept her eyes pinned on the 6 foot 2, dark-haired man dressed in street clothes. Though with their condition she was sure even street people wouldn't wear them.

Thankfully, this Vampyre smelled rather ripe to put it mildly. So, he wasn't difficult for Alex to follow.

Every tunnel seemed to get darker and darker. Soon, it was pitch black. Again, being a feline, Alex had no trouble seeing in the blackness. Unfortunately, the Vampyre didn't have any trouble either…

And so, the chase continued. Alex hopped over pipes, debris, and other things she didn't really want to identify as she raced to keep up with him.

Eventually, they hit what appeared to be a dead-end in the tunnel. Alex wasted no time and attacked.

The fight was grueling. This guy was stronger than the others and had a desperate will to survive. He cursed at her in her home's native tongue as he scratched, kicked, bit, and fought her much like the animal he was.

Alex only growled back at him, returning the punishment he was giving her.

Eventually, she got the upper hand when he slipped on something, falling backward. Alex took that chance to drive her silver dagger into his heart. He vanished into dust, causing her to drop a bit into the water.

"So many levels of gross…" Alex muttered as she stood, glaring at her clothes, which were for sure ruined now.

But more importantly, she'd beaten his minions. With a sigh, Alex began to trudge back the way she came, hoping she'd find a way out of this stinky maze of tunnels.

It didn't take long before she realized she was hopelessly lost. There was nothing distinguishable about any of the tunnels. They had not traits that set them apart from others that would help her figure out just where she was.

Alex swore softly and kept going. Surely there was a manhole around here somewhere!

That's when she heard the strangest noise. It sounded like…music?

This made her blink. Did that mean she was a near a manhole finally? Encouraged, Alex looked around for the tell-tale ladder and streams of light that would appear through the lid.

She didn't find any light, but the music did get a bit louder. Alex couldn't help but smile a bit. It was video game music.

Now that was something one didn't hear down here…

That's when she heard a creak under her feet and the ground give way…


	4. Chapter 4

Alex groaned as her back hit a hard, cold surface. She'd landed, but she wasn't sure on what.

Debris lay everywhere around her, along with dust. Alex blinked and looked around. The first thing she noticed was that she seemed to be in a home, of sorts. There was a couch, a TV…a video game system! So that's where the music had come from…

The sound of a surfer accented voice cut into her thoughts, making her head ache more than it already was.

"Dudes, a chick just fell through the ceiling!"

They didn't need to be called of course, the sound had roused them all to stop what they were doing and enter the main living area.

"Are you alright?" another voice asked. This one was a smooth, rich baritone. She liked this one better than the first. It wasn't abrasive against her senses.

"I think so." Alex answered and then turned to see who'd spoken to her. She was startled to find the voice belonged to a 5'10" tall male humanoid turtle.

"Whoa…" was all she could say, and blinked as she studied him further. He was wearing a blue mask around his eyes, which were a rich brown. Strapped to his shell, were two Katanas. He wore knee pads and elbow pads. He was smiling at her.

"Great, m' sure the screamin'll start now." This voice was a baritone just like Mr. Blue Mask, but it was rough, and had a heavy Brooklyn accent.

Alex turned her attention to him. He looked much the same as the first, but wore a red mask. His eyes were also slightly lighter in color and his skin emerald as opposed to a basic green. His muscles were also bigger, not as streamlined as Mr. Blue Mask.

"Ugh, no screaming…" Alex groaned. "My head would explode, I'm sure of it." She muttered, rubbing her temples.

That's when she heard Mr. Blue Mask call out softly for someone called "Donnie" to check her for injuries.

The next thing she knew, she was face to face with yet another turtle. This one had a purple mask; a Bo strapped to his shell, and had olive colored skin. His eyes were chocolate brown.

"Now take it easy, miss. I'm just going to check to make sure you're okay." He said this soothingly, to calm her. And strangely, it worked.

His voice wasn't as deep as the first two, but still smooth and pleasing to her ears.

"I'm Alexandria…" she said, feeling compelled to tell him her name. That and she hated being called miss. It made her feel like she was 12.

"Donatello." He answered, giving her a bit of a smile. "You're impressively calm."

"It could be my jumbled brains." Alex joked lightly.

This made Don chuckle. Oh, now that was a lovely sound. It curled around her like a warm hug and eased some of aches from the fall.

Donatello inspected the woman before him carefully. Amazingly, she had no broken bones, no serious cuts, just minor ones. The worst thing as far as he could see was that she was dirty and wet from being in the sewers.

Her slightly Irish-accented voice was a pleasant surprise for Don. It made listening to her speak an unexpected pleasure.

And she'd managed to joke with him. That was nice.

"These are my brothers, by way." Don said, wanting to get some conversation going. "The one in blue is Leonardo, the one in red is Raphael, and the one in orange who you can't see right now because he's hiding, is Michelangelo."

The turtle in question did appear shortly after his name being mentioned. His huge, ocean blue eyes were wide with curiosity now that he was sure she was safe.

Alex was glad for the information. So they were named after famous Italian Renaissance painters. That was interesting.

"Pardon me, but this isn't the reaction we're using to getting from humans." It was Leonardo who said this.

Alex blinked a bit. "I can understand that…being a big bi-pedal humanoid turtle isn't exactly the norm."

"So why ain't ya shreakin'?" Raph asked, eyeing her.

Alex pondered that. It wasn't like she could tell them she was used to seeing their kind, just slightly different back at her homeland. So, what could she say?

"Well, I did just fall, I have a massive headache, and I'm tired. Maybe after a good sleep, this'll all sink in…or it could be a dream for all I know."

Alex hoped that sounded convincing.

Raph shrugged. "Eh, that'll do it I suppose." He said, then apparently lost interest in the goings on and went back wherever it was that he came from.

Alex sighed and then yawned. Apparently the tired and headache parts were true.

To her amazement, Don gave her some Aspirin for it and a glass of water. She thanked him and took the medicine.

It wasn't long before Alex was dozing, leaning against Don's shoulder. His skin was surprisingly warm and pleasantly rough against her cheek.

Don blushed a bit at the contact. She needed to rest. Now, where to put her?

Mikey happily volunteered his room, but he was met with a resounding "No" from both Don and Leo. Mikey mumbled something about them being unfair and resumed his video game playing.

So that left either Leo's room or Don's.

As they worked that out, Alex fell asleep against Don. The purple-masked turtle smiled a bit then picked her up and carried her into his room. It was the logical choice since it had all the medical supplies within easy reach.

Don tucked her in then turned to Leo, who had followed him. "I'll let her rest for a bit and then take her back up. I don't really want her becoming coherent when she's with us and can remember us."

Leo nodded at that. "Good thinking, Don. I'll help you get her home." They were pretty good navigators and were sure to be able to find her place again.

That's when Don eyed her ripped clothing. Too bad there was nothing he could do about that. It wasn't like they had feminine clothing lying around to change her into.

April never had reason to leave clothes down here nor was she around to help. So, unfortunately Alex would have to be taken home in her battered jeans and top.

And that's where Alex awoke several hours later. She blinked, a bit startled to find herself in her home and tucked safely in her bed. Now how had that happened?

The last thing she remembered was falling asleep against Don's shoulder.

Alex carefully sat up, bracing herself on her hands. Her headache was gone now and she knew that whatever wounds she'd sustained would be healed now making her look as if she'd never fallen at all.

Getting up, she went through the day's events in her mind. So Diablo knew where she was now. Alex shuddered. That meant that serious trouble was ahead. The fight today was just a warning of what was to come.

No doubt he would alert his most powerful allies: The Black Helldragons. And they together would destroy this city, maybe this world, simply because she was in it.

She couldn't go home. It didn't exist anymore. It had been taken over by Evil.

So what could she do? Alex's eyes flared feline for a moment. She hated feeling helpless like this and she knew Diablo knew it.

Her panther Salem quietly padded into the room, his tail swishing a bit as if sensing his mistress's distress.

Alex reached out and gently petted the top of his head. "There's got to be something I can do, but what?"

Unfortunately, no answer came to her. That brought her back to the turtles. She knew why they'd brought her back home. They were hoping she'd pass off seeing them as a dream or as a result of her fall.

Sadly, that wasn't going to happen though she knew she'd led them to believe that.

Alex remembered the whole incident, every detail.

_Even how damned good Don smelled…_

That thought startled Alex and made her cheeks turn slightly pink. It had been hundreds of years since a male or his scent had caught her attention. Why was it happening now, when she had so many other more important things to handle?

It was poor timing on its part.

Now being who she was, it was obvious that his being a turtle wasn't an issue and it never would be. That wouldn't hold her back from pursuing him.

What would, however, was the dangers that lay ahead. Alex couldn't bear to think of Don caught up in what was to come. She knew he was mortal and wouldn't stand a chance against strong, powerful, supernatural beings such as these.

Alex sighed. Dismal thoughts weren't going to help anything. Standing, she went downstairs to her kitchen to make herself some coffee. Though it was still night outside, she wasn't going to get any sleep.

Alex leaned against the kitchen counter as she half-listened to her coffee machine come to life.

How long would Diablo wait, she wondered, before he would strike?

With him it was never certain. What she did know is that he struck when he chose, and when he did, it was always hard and without mercy.

Alex swore softly and colorfully in her own language before turning and setting down a mug for her coffee. She wanted to scream with frustration at this, but knew it wouldn't do any good.

With a growl, Alex replaced her mug with a travel mug, filling it with coffee. Perhaps some time stretched on the roof with allow to her think.

She'd taken up the habit shortly after moving in here because it seemed the stars shone brightest right above her place.

Alex threw on a sweater, jeans, and sneakers before heading up. When the cool air hit her face, she allowed herself a small smile. And with that, she lay down in her usual spot and looked upwards at the black night sky.

As she had hoped, the stars were out shining brightly as they always did.

Then, a familiar scent caught her nose.

_Donatello… _

She knew he was nearby and that caused her body to come alive as it hadn't ever before. Alex gently bit her lip, trying to push down her body's intense reaction. Now wasn't the time for this…

On a rooftop not too far away, Donatello was watching the raven-haired woman.

God, she was beautiful…

The turtle had no idea why he was so struck by her at the moment. He just simply was.

Just then, a green three-fingered hand entered his vision and waved in front of him.

"Dude, if you stare at her any harder, you're totally going to burn a hole in her forehead or something."

Donatello frowned at the clear teasing tone in his baby brother's voice. "I wasn't staring, I was observing." Okay, that was a lousy lie.

This made Michelangelo chuckle. "Whatever, dude! You were so staring."

"Mikey…" Don began but stopped. He knew that arguing with Mikey would just fuel the fire for his teasing, so he stayed quiet.

Just then, Alex sat up and seemed to turn her head and look straight at him. Donatello knew it was too dark for her to see him, but still it felt as if their eyes had just met.

Don, however, didn't know that they in fact had made eye contact. Alex could see clearly in the dark and could make out Don's face perfectly. He was studying her with clear interest which made her smile a bit.

She was almost tempted to wave at him, but didn't. No sense in spooking the poor turtle or alerting him to the fact that despite black as ink night, she could see him.

Alex could also hear the conversation going between the two brothers. That made her smile aswell.

_Oh, you wouldn't tease him so much if you knew I was staring back…_

Speaking of that, Alex tore her eyes finally from Don's face.

The cool night air brushed her cheeks as she resumed looking at the stars. It did nothing to ease her body's needs, but it felt nice.

Donatello's eyes scanned her body. The cuts and bruises from her face and hands were gone! He remembered cleaning them. It looked as if she hadn't fallen in the first place. How'd that happen?

Reason told him that it was probably because of the lack of light and the fact that she was wearing a sweater, after all. It was hiding where some of her worst wounds were. It still didn't explain the lack of scratches…

Shaking that thought from his mind, Don decided that sitting here watching Alex wasn't going to get him and Mikey home from nightly exercise any faster.

And maybe if Don got away from her, that all too male ache in his lower plastron would go away…


End file.
